Lessons from Lesbos: Can tourism survive amid migrant crisis?

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Photos:Migrant crisis: What happened next on Lesbos

Lessons from Lesbos – Last year the island of Lesbos was at the crossroads of Europe's migrant crisis. These beaches were teeming with people fleeing Syria and other troubled places. Today the island's "tourist capital" Molyvos and its shores are quieter.

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Photos:Migrant crisis: What happened next on Lesbos

New opportunities – The church of Agios Therapon dominates the skyline in Lesbos's capital Mytilene. Islanders are looking at new ways to encourage tourists scared away by headlines about the migrants.

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Photos:Migrant crisis: What happened next on Lesbos

Kara Tepe refugee camp – Lesbos is learning to cope with its new arrivals. Most are settled in the Kara Tepe refugee camp in Mytilene, which is guarded day and night.

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Photos:Migrant crisis: What happened next on Lesbos

Refugees – Among refugees at the camp is Akram, a 16-year-old Syrian, who says he fled alone for a better life in Europe after his father was killed. His says his mother is still in Syria.

Birdwatching – In spring, Lesbos is usually one of the hottest birdwatching spots in Europe. This year, Gill Greenhall and her husband Mel are among the few making the trip. They've been enjoying annual bird-watching vacations on the island for more than a decade.

Off the vacation map – A sea view from the hiking trails of Mount Olympus, the second highest peak in Lesbos. Most cruise ships have diverted from the island and some travel companies have stopped offering vacation packages altogether.

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(CNN)Usually at this time of year, the Greek island of Lesbos would be bracing itself for a summer season of packed hotels and beaches.

Under blue Mediterranean skies, cruise ships would be offloading scores more visitors, sinking cash into the local economy.

Not this year.

Twelve months ago, Lesbos found itself at the center of the migrant crisis that has gripped much of Europe as families flee conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere.

News reports showed migrants packed into camps on the island, awaiting their fate. There were also scenes of violence amid clashes with authorities.

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And subsequently, the visitors stopped coming.

But what is life like on the island now? Is it able to cope with its new arrivals? And should the tourists be staying away?

"We feel very safe here but it's sad to see tavernas we love completely empty," says Gill Greenhall from the UK.

Greenhall is a regular visitor each spring to Lesbos, which is home to 330 bird species and is the number one birdwatching site in Europe.

But this year, she's an exception.

Empty flights

People in Lesbos are coming to terms with a new normalcy in the wake of migrant arrivals.

"The flight was half-empty on the way here -- first time we saw that," says Greenhall. "We know the situation has put off people from coming but it shouldn't."

The arrival of the migrants came as Greece was still reeling from a painful financial crisis that nearly saw it go crashing out of Europe's single currency eurozone.

"People fleeing from war met people suffering from a socio-economic crisis," says Maria Kaplanelli, who manages the Pagotelli ice cream shop and the Natura Guesthouse in the village of Skala Kallonis with her husband Yiorgos Eleftheriou.

What could've been a year-long disaster, however, seems to have brought out a sense of resilience, hospitality and understanding among islanders, she says.

"There could've been a conflict, but there was no conflict. That was the magic of it.

"It was shocking, a situation above us all. As an island we helped, we evolved and we overcame. We can't be anything but positive to move on."

Sense of pride

Most refugees are settled for now at Lesbos's Kara Tepe camp.

"Last year refugees walked for hours in the heat," says Eleftheriou as he drives on an empty country road lined with lush olive trees and a sweeping seaside view.

"Islanders tried to assist before there was help from abroad by offering water, giving rides, shelter and food.

"I am proud that our hands were outstretched to welcome them."

Kaplanelli says that since the island now has the infrastructure it needs to help the migrants, locals are now figuring out how they can win back tourists.

"Now, for us as business owners, it's a matter of getting organized," she adds.

She and other members of the Molyvos Tourism Association, a private business group formed in the face of the economic crisis to promote Lesbos as a tourist destination, organized a group of Greece-based writers from Travel Bloggers Greece to tour Lesbos.

"With 30 charter flights per month it's enough to offer a room, the sea, the bars and sun.

"Without those flights Lesbos must think beyond, offering options to attract those who want to hike through the chestnut forest, learn about the petrified forest, discover local gastronomy and ouzo culture, walk the castle walls of our island and explore the villages.

"This is the opportunity for Lesbos."

Kaplanelli and Eleftheriou realize there aren't any short-term solutions to bring tourists back, a dilemma which continues to hit at their own livelihoods and for so many more on the island.

"All we can say is that Lesbos is completely different from one year ago, on many levels. But it's always been a beautiful destination and always will be.

"We understand the perception out there, so for every traveler that decides to be with us this summer, it will be appreciated greatly," says Kaplanelli.

"To him or her I would simply say thank you. I know you'd have a great time."